DAVID WHEELER: The gamification of America

The first video game console I owned was Pong. As kids, we played it on a tiny black and white television with bent-up rabbit ears and a snowy screen. From there it was Asteroids on the Atari 2600, Super Mario on the NES, and Call of Duty for PlayStation. Today I play Boggle on the iPhone and the occasional RPG on my home computer.

By David Wheeler

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By David Wheeler

Posted Jul. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 1, 2013 at 1:10 AM

By David Wheeler

Posted Jul. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 1, 2013 at 1:10 AM

» Social News

The first video game console I owned was Pong. As kids, we played it on a tiny black and white television with bent-up rabbit ears and a snowy screen. From there it was Asteroids on the Atari 2600, Super Mario on the NES, and Call of Duty for PlayStation. Today I play Boggle on the iPhone and the occasional RPG on my home computer.

This is one demographic where I’m part of the majority – video gamers. According to the latest Nielsen survey, more than 56% of households now have at least “one modern gaming console” and their numbers are growing. The overall number of gamers in 2012 rose by 7% from the previous year.

What’s interesting is how our gaming habits have translated into a whole new way of thinking about ourselves. Last week I attended a technology convention where the keynote speaker, Jane McGonigal, author of the book Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make us Better and How they Can Change the World, made her case for the benefits of gaming.

Ms. McGonigal believes that not only do games make us happy, they help make the world a better place by giving us a sense of belonging and community, along with a way of experiencing a wide array of complex human emotions. They also help us focus the collective power of our communities by reinforcing what history has always taught us – we are stronger together.

But can playing video games really be good for us?

Some teachers say that video games help motivate and engage children to learn. And plenty of parents of young children use the iPad to help their kids read or identify colors and shapes. But the research on whether games increase actual knowledge is inconclusive.

In June 2012, The American Journal for Preventative Medicine studied the effects of playing video games on therapeutic services. The study concluded that “there is potential promise for video games to improve health outcomes, particularly in the areas of psychological therapy and physical therapy.” But again, aside from this promising snippet, any real longitudinal studies have yet to be conducted.

The idea of video games being helpful, never mind world-changing, has its detractors as well. To some, virtual worlds are nothing but escapism, a way to avoid the responsibilities and personal interactions of real life. To others, video games lead to violent or addictive behaviors, although this has not been proven.

I know plenty of parents who fret over how much time their children play video games at the expense of other activities, like going outside or reading. This is where the real worry is for some people, as today’s youth spend almost three times as much time playing video games than they spend reading.

Here also is where Ms. McGonigal’s argument becomes interesting. In response to these negatives, she points to the problem as one of game design, not human behavior. Human behavior, she says, can be changed by simply designing games that bring about positive outcomes. Build better games and you'll get a better society.

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She even designed a game to prove her point. Chore Wars is a game where users log how much household work they do, such as washing dishes, vacuuming, or mowing the lawn. In this way, players compete for pre-determined prizes. A clever idea, to say the least.

But can a game designed to get people to do more housework (or volunteer more, or exercise more) change the world? Can gaming actually make the world a better place? It’s certainly possible. But considering how we currently apply such technology to real, and not simulated, drone strikes, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea just yet.

Note: I will be a guest on WXBR AM 1460 this Wednesday morning from 7:30-8:30 to discuss this column.